Teachers...Forget the $50 gift from a student!! Blog 16

Teachers....don't expect a pricey spa certificate or a fancy restaurant certificate this year for Christmas from your students. How about those very hard-to-find tickets to a theater or a sporting event? You won't be getting any fine wine either or anything for that matter that values more than $50!!!

WOW!! Do teachers actually receive these as gifts over the holidays from their students? Have you? Do you know a teacher who has? Well, apparently, school superintendents are sending home letters this holiday season stating to NOT go overboard with gift-giving to teachers and other staff. If a parent goes over $50, violations are subject to civil penalties. This has to do with a new ethics law in which teachers on public payrolls aren't allowed to accept gifts over $50!

Has gift giving gotten out of hand?? What about the parent who gave her child's teacher a Rolex watch? A Prada purse? A high-definition TV? This has happened in California and other states around the country. Now, I have to ask myself, is this out of the goodness of someone's heart or is there some bribery going on in this competitive atmosphere?

Either way, legislature has had the $50 rule in play since 1976. I didn't realize there was a statute of limitations on gift giving until now. "People need to understand that teachers are public employees and subject to the conflict-of-interest law," said David Giannotti, spokesman for the State Ethics Commission. "Gifts have a tendency to unlevel the playing field and can be exploited."

So what constitutes as valued gifts for teachers? What about your basic homemade cookies as a gift? Or a box of chocolates? Or a handwritten note by the child? I once received a case of Mountain Dew! I didn't realize that some teachers around the country were receiving a check for $200! How uncomfortable would you feel in this case? Maybe the statute of limitations is appropriate. Some school districts go as far as banning gifts.

The Lexington Education Foundation runs a program in which a parent can donate $20 to the foundation in honor of a specific person. "The recognition program is one way to support teachers and the school system," said Deb Rourke, a co-president and a mother of three children. "How many mugs does a teacher need?"

How about a teacher wish-list? Many teachers have had a wish-list for things in their classroom since the first day of school. These things may include hand sanitizers, plastic baggies, etc. This way, you know the gift will be put to good use instead of collecting dust somewhere.

"Parents are very interested in staying within the boundaries of the law," Carin Casey, co-president of the Parent Teacher Association said, "and making sure that teachers are not put in the awkward position of saying, 'I can't accept the gift.'"

Would you be able to accept a Rolex? A high-definition TV? I would be just as happy with a case of Mountain Dew....maybe!!